This was one of those moments you remember. How often do you get to sit on a hill, on a farm, at a huge table with strangers and eat really good food? I’ll have a few more photos once I get my other roll developed, but for now, I hope you enjoyed these.
Feeding children is a complete mystery – how all can be fed the same way as babies and toddlers and then develop their own likes and dislikes later on. My kids are no exception. When they were babies I made all of their food. I remember mushing avocado and banana together and my oldest loved it. I could inhale a whole avocado on any given day. But my son, who could drink a gallon of milk in two days, could not stand it. My girls are not fond of milk, other than in their cereal. My son, will not have milk in his cereal. Are you getting me here?
So when it comes to meals – there is no sympathy. Occasionally there may be, but rarely. My mom worked a full-time job outside of the house and always, always, made a complete meal for us. Like baked clams on the half-shell, veal cutlet parmigiana, beef goulash (yuck). And we were always expected to eat it. Or, we would go hungry. One of the things I inherited from my mom was meal planning. Every week I sit down and write out the meals and prepare the shopping list. I sift through magazines or, blogs, that I love for meals. One of my favorites is Real Simple. Last night I made Sweet Potato and Gruyere Turnovers. I thought the kids would love them and I even omitted the swiss chard at first to see if they would fly better. My kids inhale my Butternut Squash Gnocchi. Basically the same kind of ingredients. Starch and cheese. This would even be wrapped it in a pie crust.
The girls began eating with interest. Then slowly it faded into dislike. Boy wouldn’t even touch his. He picked at the crust and we finally made him take a bite to his dismay. Blobs of sweet potato mixture sat on their plates after the demolition of crusts. My only thought was the texture. The sweet potato was grated and this can be gross to a kid. Maybe mashed would of been better. Then mixed with the sauteed onions and gruyere cheese.
So while we liked it, the kids could of cared less and went to bed on bellies full of green beans and pears.
So I keep trying. And keep searching for recipes we all will like.
Some of my favorite food blogs:
What are some of yours?
